hashicorp/nomad · error

namespace %q using non-existent quota %q

Error message

namespace %q using non-existent quota %q

What it means

When upserting a namespace that references a Quota, the state store validates the quota spec exists. This error means the namespace's Quota field names a quota that has never been created (or was deleted), so the namespace write is rejected.

Source

Thrown at nomad/state/state_store.go:7098

	if existing != nil {
		exist := existing.(*structs.Namespace)
		ns.CreateIndex = exist.CreateIndex
		ns.ModifyIndex = index

		// Grab the old quota on the namespace
		oldQuota = exist.Quota
	} else {
		ns.CreateIndex = index
		ns.ModifyIndex = index
	}

	// Validate that the quota on the new namespace exists
	if ns.Quota != "" {
		exists, err := s.quotaSpecExists(txn, ns.Quota)
		if err != nil {
			return fmt.Errorf("looking up namespace quota %q failed: %v", ns.Quota, err)
		} else if !exists {
			return fmt.Errorf("namespace %q using non-existent quota %q", ns.Name, ns.Quota)
		}
	}

	// Insert the namespace
	if err := txn.Insert(TableNamespaces, ns); err != nil {
		return fmt.Errorf("namespace insert failed: %v", err)
	}

	// Reconcile changed quotas
	return s.quotaReconcile(index, txn, ns.Quota, oldQuota)
}

// DeleteNamespaces is used to remove a set of namespaces
func (s *StateStore) DeleteNamespaces(index uint64, names []string) error {
	txn := s.db.WriteTxn(index)
	defer txn.Abort()

	for _, name := range names {

View on GitHub (pinned to 482b49bf1a)

Solutions

1. Create the quota first: `nomad quota create <spec>` or apply the quota spec before the namespace
2. Fix the namespace's quota name to match an existing quota spec
3. If the quota should not apply, re-apply the namespace with -quota="" (empty)
4. Reorder your IaC/apply steps so quota creation precedes namespace upsert

Example fix

// before
nomad namespace apply -quota=team-a-quota team-a  // quota missing
// after
nomad quota create quota-spec.hcl
nomad namespace apply -quota=team-a-quota team-a

q, _, err := client.Quotas().Info(ns.Quota, nil)
if err != nil || q == nil {
    return fmt.Errorf("quota %q must exist before namespace %q is applied", ns.Quota, ns.Name)
}

func quotaExists(name string) bool { _, _, err := client.Quotas().Info(name, nil); return err == nil }

_, _, err := client.Namespaces().Register(ns, nil)
if err != nil && strings.Contains(err.Error(), "non-existent quota") {
    return fmt.Errorf("create the quota spec first or clear -quota on the namespace: %w", err)
}

When it happens

Trigger: `nomad namespace apply -quota=<name>` or Namespace.Upsert API where the quota spec does not exist in the state store (quotaSpecExists returns false).

Common situations: Typo in the quota name; quota deleted before the namespace referencing it is updated; namespace config applied to a region/cluster where the quota was never created; infrastructure-as-code ordering issue (namespace applied before quota).

Related errors

• invalid variables limit: %v
• volume validation failed: no such namespace %q
• mismatched request namespace in request: %q, %q
• must specify at least one namespace
• Invalid namespace %q: %v

AI-assisted analysis of hashicorp/nomad@482b49bf1a (2026-09-04). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0ccc7f147c2ed140. Report an issue: GitHub.